Review: Dark Heir by Faith Hunter

Reviewed by Jen

Jane Yellowrock can not catch a break. Ever. In each book of the series, it seems like things just get harder and harder in her life. Each villain feels even more impossible to defeat than the one before. Each battle brings her closer and closer to the limits of what she can endure. It’s a wild ride –action packed– but there is plenty of heart, as well as backstory and connections that continue to add depth to an already fleshed out world.

Remember that thing that Leo had chained up in his basement? Well, it’s escaped and it’s leaving a horrific body count in its wake. Jane’s already kicking herself for not killing it when it was immobilized. She knew it was evil, but now that the so-called Son of Darkness is free, he is growing crazy-strong, and frankly, he is way out of her league.

Sadly, Joses Bar-Judas is not the only enemy Jane must defeat. He has other vampires working with him and Jane has to figure out who is plotting against her before she can even start her fight. It’s such a tightly wound mystery. The politics reach back into the earliest books in the series, and while Faith Hunter does an admirable job helping to remind you of what happened, it still requires you to think. The book is very dense. There are so many moving parts… all that come together spectacularly like 100 instruments in a well conducted orchestra.

As impressively as Hunter weaves the plot, I was even more impressed by the emotional elements of the story. The relationship between Jane and the Youngers, for me, has become the most poignant thread of the story. This is a woman who has been trying to find connections her entire life, and with these two men, she finally has what she has always wanted… a family. Yes, I love what she has with Bruiser now, I really do. But it’s her moments with with Eli and the Kid that touch my heart. I may have cried, I’m just saying.

For a long time, I complained about the lack of development in Jane’s personal life. That’s over. Rick is where he needs to be. (Well, as close as he could be, assuming Hunter won’t smear him naked with honey and cover him with ants.) George is more than I even hoped he could be. Jane is really starting to get what she deserves, personally. But with gain comes pain, and like I said, she has plenty of that too.

Bottom line: it’s a really good book. It’s not an easy read. It makes you think and pay attention. But it’s smart and it’s fast paced. It’s got heart and it continues to surprise me. What more could I ask for?